Here's how Cornitos' Vikram Agarwal changed the nachos biz in India

Vikram AgarwalWhen Vikram Agarwal launched Cornitos, a triangle-shaped, corn-based premium snack brand, in 2009, he met with a fair share of resistance. After all, it carried a price tag of Rs 100 a pack when popular snack brands such as PepsiCo's Lay's chips were selling in Rs 10 packs.

But in seven years after it introduced Mexican snack nacho chips in India, the modest family-owned food startup Greendot Health Foods has forced global snacks and beverages maker PepsiCo and biscuits giant Parle to sit up and take note. Parle launched Mexitos nacho chips exactly a year ago while PepsiCo brought in its global brand Doritos six months ago even as Cornitos has become an over Rs 40-crore brand.

It was quite different in its early papad?' they would say," Agarwal told ET. With minute detailing to flavours and packaging and a modest investment of Rs 20 crore, Greendot first launched its product only in modern traveller and foodie, Agarwal runs the first and only consumer facing business of the Rs 130-crore GC Group, which makes electronic components and supplies to the likes of Samsung and LG. And now his rivals are more than willing to give him testimonials even as Agarwal quietly goes about steering the fast emerging category to Parle Products marketing manager BK Rao said.

An official directly involved with Pepsi-Co's launch plans for Doritos said: "It's a category which couldn't be ignored more by a diversified snacking firm. Consumers were trading up and shopping at.

Cornitos was doing the right things in that space. Hence, PepsiCo decided to start importing the brand." What also works for the corn snack category is its positioning - Agarwal claims that it's gluten free, has no cholesterol or trans fats, and has almost 40 per cent less oil than regular potato chips. His lowest priced pack now is for Rs 35, at a time when rivals are selling Rs 5 and Rs 10 packs. Agarwal appears unperturbed. "This is not a segment where you can get volumes and we're fine with that. Consumer spends are more in the Rs 5 and Rs 10 segments, yes. But we haven't and won't target that segment," he said.

Trade officials said the acceptance of Cornitos' price band has been gradually increasing in metros as well as tier 2 cities. Quoting Nielsen data, Agarwal pegs the healthy snacking segment at 60 crore, with Cornitos at a 60 per cent plus share. The category, he said, includes snacks such as corn chips, roasted snacks and rice puffs Cornitos also sells overseas including the US, China, Singapore and some

Agarwal said Japan could be flavour is a big hit among Japanese consumers travelling to the country. While he's selling Cornitos in Cafe Coffee Day, airlines and cinema theatres, his firm is eyeing potential deals with Costa Coffee and Domino's, for